He waited his turn, finally got his chance to be the starter and promptly tore his ACL.

Poor Ryan Williams, right? Well, not according to his coach.

Al Golden, who previously expressed cautious optimism about his injured quarterback, told reporters Williams is doing “phenomenal” in his recovery from his ACL tear and reiterated the Canes will get him back in 2014.

Golden, who was attending the ACC’s annual spring meetings in Amelia Island, was asked about the possibility of applying for a medical hardship waiver for Williams, who will be a redshirt senior this fall. According to ESPN.com, Golden said:

Al Golden expects Ryan Williams to return in 2014.

“That doesn’t appear to be the route right now based on how well he is recovering. We know he’ll be back. It’s just a question of how early because his recovery right now is phenomenal.”

Williams, last year’s backup to the graduated Stephen Morris, suffered a non-contact ACL tear in an April 4 scrimmage. The Canes begin fall practice in August. The projected starter for UM’s Sept. 1 season-opener at Louisville is redshirt freshman Kevin Olsen, who has yet to play in a college game.

Other things:

Perryman top 10? The NFL Draft was last weekend, but hey, people on the Internet will click on 2015 mock drafts. I saw one this morning that had Canes linebackerDenzel Perryman going 10th overall to the hometown Miami Dolphins.

That assumes a lot — not limited to the Dolphins having a poor enough season to land the 10th pick, which would likely mean many changes, which may force them to draft for another need — but it’s interesting to see Perryman so high.

If he stays healthy, there’s seemingly nothing stopping Perryman from having a very productive senior year. Last year he was UM’s leading tackler (fifth in the ACC) with 108, with 69 solo stops. Those totals should rise as he shifts from weakside to middle linebacker this fall.

What might knock him down a peg is his height. He’s listed at 6-foot, but like with most measurements in college, that’s rounded up. Though the draft can be a crapshoot, I’d place him somewhere in the top 40 picks.

Speaking of drafts: The MLB Draft is next up on the calendar (June 5-7) and one Canes player remains among the top-ranked prospects by Baseball America.

Redshirt sophomore left-hander Andrew Suarez is the 73rd overall prospect and the 17th-best college pitcher on the list, which was updated Wednesday.

Of local interest: North Carolina State shortstop Trea Turner (Park Vista High) is 12th overall and the fourth-best position player … His teammate, left-hander Carlos Rodon, is ranked third. The Marlins, who have the No. 2 overall pick, have interested in him … Palm Beach Gardens High catcher J.J. Schwarz is rated 54th, the fourth- best catching prospect in the draft.